Finding the blockbuster squad

by hudasaeed'19

Before our beloved summer vacation ended, we had opportunities to watch the biggest hits in theaters. The summer of 2016 proved to be quite successful in the arena of cinema, so here are a couple of films that our Bedford High School community has seen, commented on, and compared this to other critics and added some fun facts. So, without further hesitation, the Blockbuster Films of Summer 2016. First up, is, of course, the extremely popular “Finding Dory”. This sequel to the classic “Finding Nemo” follows Dory on her adventure to find her long-lost parents, whom she forgot for a good portion of her life due to her short-term memory loss. Marlin and Nemo help Dory along the way, crossing paths with a variety of other creatures in their adventure. “Finding Dory” proved to be majorly successful. A student at Bedford High School said “ ‘Finding Dory’ had big shoes to fill following ‘Finding Nemo’, and it met most of those expectations.” Critics agreed as well that “Finding Dory” was a success, and seemed pleased at its end result. All in all, “Finding Dory” satisfied the public. In addition to this blockbuster is Warner Bros. “Suicide Squad”. This much-anticipated movie had comic book fans in a fervor, enunciated even more by the all-star cast. The film illustrates the story of a government agency’s recruitment of the most dangerous criminals to help them against a supernatural being. Despite the enticing storyline, critics did not respond well to this action-packed flick, but these harsh criticisms of the movie did not apply to all: A sophomore here at BHS disagreed with the critics and claimed “Each of the characters in the movie had intense backstories and interesting conflicts. It was a very interesting movie and I liked it.” This student refers to each of the iconic villains, and how the film portrays each of their unique pasts that led them to the state they are now, and their inner demons. Regardless of the largely negative reviews from critics, the film still acquired a whopping $640.1 million for the box office. Along with the eccentric production, there were also some wild antics behind the scenes: Jared Leto, who plays The Joker, reportedly became so engaged in his character that he would send “gifts” that he thought pertained to his character: He sent a rat to co-star Margot Robbie, who plays his erratic love interest, and graced the entire crew with a dead hog. Niamh Russell comments that “It’s abnormal. It’s an interesting way to get in your character. The crew must’ve felt so uncomfortable to receive such a gift. Based on these actions, I would expect a top performance from him.” Viola Davis, the actor who played the government agent who assembles the villains, said at first she was terrified that he dropped off a hog, but then realized this would help her own character to become familiar with his antics so she could better portray any interactions they’d have. To conclude, even though the critics were not pleased, it was quite successful in terms of profit and pleased some of the public. Next up is “The Shallows”, starring the widely popular Blake Lively. “The Shallows” follows Lively’s character, Nancy, as a surfer attacked by a great white shark, taking her 200 miles from shore. The film then depicts her treacherous journey to reach home and her struggles against challenges of all types. “The Shallows” made a mediocre profit, but perhaps the film would have made even more without critics bashing the movie left and right, attacking the plot-holes in the storyline and her acting. Although critics were disappointed, the students at Bedford High weren’t: Olivia Burke commented that “It had good effects, and the cinematography was super.” She went on to say that “It was also really scary and Blake Lively did a really good job portraying her character.” Altogether, though the production seemed to fall beneath the critics’ standards, it still serves as an entertaining thriller. These three films have been proven to be quite popular this summer, but they are not the only ones. Whether the critics hated it, or the public loved it, the films have been demonstrated to be successful and profitable. So there you have it! The top productions in the summer of 2016. I’ve given you all the facts, now it’s your turn to see the films yourself and make what you will of it.